Chocolate Madeleines
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These Chocolate Madeleines are like a cross between a cake, cookie, and brownie. They are buttery, light, and not overly sweet. Coat them with dark chocolate for the ultimate chocolate treat.
These Chocolate Madeleines have a soft buttery sponge interior with a crisp scallop-shaped crust on the outside. Serve them plain or make them double chocolatey by coating them in dark chocolate. A sweet treat that is sure to please chocolate lovers.
Ingredients You Need
- Unsalted butter. Using high-quality butter in madeleines is simply essential, even more so as the butter is what brings the flavor to them. For the best result, use European-style butter which has less water, higher fat content, and richer flavor. It will really make a difference here.
- Eggs. Make sure you use room-temperature eggs because they blend more evenly in batters.
- Castor sugar. You can also replace it with granulated sugar. I used castor sugar because it blends more easily than granulated sugar.
- Cake flour. Cake flour is ideal for baked goods with a tender texture due to its low gluten content. You can also use all-purpose flour to substitute cake flour.
- Cocoa powder. For the best chocolate flavor, use Dutch cocoa powder. You can try substituting it for natural cocoa powder, but your madeleines will not be as chocolatey or as dark.
- Baking powder. It is an ingredient responsible for forming the madeleine’s hump.
- Salt. To taste.
- Dark chocolate. Plain chocolate madeleines are delicious as is, but if you want to take them to the next level, making the chocolate shell is highly recommended.
Choosing Madeleines Pan
You absolutely need one or two madeleines pans to make the signature scallop shape of the madeleines. You can find different madeleine molds made from metal or silicone. Metal pans are great for their excellent heat transfer. In addition, choose a non-stick pan so that the madeleines can release easily from the pan.
How to Make the Chocolate Shell
You can use either compound or couverture chocolate for the shell. The compound chocolate is much easier to handle because it does not require any tempering compared to couverture chocolate. However, if you use couverture chocolate, you must temper it or it won’t set and have a shiny surface.
To make the chocolate shell, melt dark chocolate over a double boiler or microwave. Once melted, pour 1 tablespoon into each cavity and use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate. Place your madeleines on top of the melted chocolate and freeze until the chocolate has hardened. Once the chocolate is hard, the madeleines will come off easily from the pan. If not, you can pop them in the freezer for another 5 minutes.
Baking Tips
- Temperature matters. Make sure you use room temperature eggs and slightly warm melted butter as written in the recipe.
- Rest the dough. The batter must be refrigerated for at least 1 hour or overnight. The purpose of this is to chill the batter which also thickens it. This is what creates the signature hump on the madeleines – the shock of the heat hitting the cold batter, and the thicker batter which allows the cake to rise faster.
- Don’t overfill the molds. You should fill them about 80-90% full for the best result.
- Keep an eye on them as they bake. Madeleines are quick to bake. You only need 10-12 minutes to have them risen and golden brown.
- Temper the chocolate. If you are using couverture chocolate, you have to temper the chocolate or it won’t set properly and have a shiny surface.
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Cube Pound Cakes
- Moist Steamed Chocolate Cake
- Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins
- Double Chocolate Sable Cookies
- Double Chocolate Butter Cookies
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 gr) unsalted butter, melted, at 40-50°C
- 2 (110 gr) eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) castor sugar
- 2 tsp (15 gr) honey, optional
- 3/4 cup (90 gr) cake flour
- 1/4 cup (30 gr) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (4 gr) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Dark Chocolate Shell
- 3/4 cup (125 gr) chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add eggs, castor sugar, and honey. Using a whisk, mix them lightly for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.
- Sift in cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Add in melted butter and whisk until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the batter for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F/200°C. Grease a non-stick madeleine pan with butter. If you are not using a non-stick pan, grease the pan with butter and dust the wells with flour lightly.
- Remove the batter from the fridge. Using a spatula, mix to loosen the batter and remove the air bubbles.
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe the batter into the molds until 80-90% full. You can also alternatively spoon the batter into the molds.
- Place the filled madeleine pan into the preheated oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350F/180°C. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until they have risen.
- Remove madeleines from the pan immediately and cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Make sure your pan is washed and clean. Pour 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each cavity and spread slightly. Place the madeleines over the melted chocolate.
- Freeze for 30 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened. Slide them off. If they still stick to the pan, pop them in the freezer for another 5 minutes.
